Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-09-17
THE BIG MAIN BURSTS AGAIN.
A Flood of Water Thrown Up ON l.
street this Morning.

STeet thhs UOrnlmXe
HOW ONE OF THE RESIDENTS SAVED THE CELLARS
WHOLE SECTION OF PIPE sRoKEN-THE WORK OF
REPAIRS To-DAY-MoKE THAN HALF OF THE CITY
| DEPRIVED or WAFER.
A man named Webster, who lodges over Philip
Kiernan's grocery. on the north side OF l. street
| between 10Th and 21st streets northwest. was
startled from his sleep about O'Clock this morn
ing by loud report in front of the house. Mr..
| Webster rose and was much amazed to find the
| street filled with water. On the opposite side of
the street, by the curb, q huge stream of water
was spouting up TO height OF several feet In the
air. AS Mr.. kiernan described 1t to a STAR repOr-
ter IL spOuted up to the leaves on the trees which
| are s or 10 feet from the ground and then boiled
over on the pavement. When the residents in the
| north and northwest and On Capitol Hill awoke
this morning they found their water cut on. The
36-inch main On L street had broken again.
HOW Mr. HERMAN SAVED THE CELLARS.
| MT. webster, when he rose, Immediately aroused
Mr.. and Mrs. Herman and informed them that the
street was filling with water. When Mr.. Herman
| reached his door he found the water running in
two squares, and rapidly rising over the Sidewalk
He fastened TO the police station to give the
alarm. on has return the water had spread out
| nearly 10 the building line on each side, and was
| sun gushing forth in great volume Mr.. Herman
| waded around till he found the cover OF a big
| sewer manhole in the middle OF the street. With
the aid OF two cUlOred men he removed this cover
| and the water rushed down into the hole like
| Whirlpool Mr.. Herman then, with assistants.
cleaned out tne debris that chOked up the sewer
| traps at the corners and thus provided an addi-
ti0nai means OF escape for the water, much to the
| relieI OF the excited neighborhOOd, who had
| anNlously watched the water creeping I'D toward
| their basement and cellar windows. The water
| quickly subsidized and to-day Mr.. Herman was re-
gdrded In the neighbOrhood as sort OF hero, much
| like the Dutch boy who stopped leak in Hol-
land dyke with his finger. Some of the cellars In
/ The nelghborhOGd We're flooded to some extent, but
\ q
THE BROKEN MAIN
| The main Is the same that broke on the Sth Of
April last and again on the 18th OF June, but the
location OF this break is one square farther east
| 1t is about the middle of the square between 10Th
ana list streets. The main there lies four or five
| 1eet beneath the pavement near the south curb.
the water burst out at the line OF the curb throw
| Ing up the sidewalk bricks and diSplacing the
| stone curolng. The asphalt pavement caved in
for a distance OF thirty or forty feet. The water
| department was notified by the police OF the
break. The department received notice also from
| the men In Charge OF the pumping engine for the
stand-pfpe, who when the water failed In the pipe
| at once went over the line and discovered the
| break Capt SymOnS and superintendent Hay
den, OF the Water Department, were soon on the
i ground, and before daylight the water had been
waiting.
/ AT WORK ON THE BREAK.
There was no difficulty in locating the leak, as
was the case when the breaks occurred in April
| and June.
4
One OF the huge sections OF the MAN, twelve
feet In length, found with piece broken out Of
| It's side. The pipe had been bent from end to end
and nearly third of the whole section was broken
out To-day men were engaged In removing the
broken section. A new section OF 36-inch pipe was
hauled up from the storage place ON the river 'front.'
loot or street. The new section will be substi-
| tuted for the broken one. Captain Symons said he
hoped to have the main repaired and the water
| turned on by tomorrow morning.
| THE SCENE TODAY.
Ropes were stretched across the street and along
the curb to-day, so as to keep the crowd back from
| the scene OF the break where the men were at
| work. This precaution was necessary too as the
/ pavement was in dangerous condition. For
considerable distance on each side OF the break the
water had washed away the ground under the
| asphalt. The pavement was cracked and 1t gave
forth hollow sound beneath the feet of those who
walked over it, The street pavement and the
| sidewalks up 10 the building lines OF the houses
were coated with thin layer OF mud spread over
/ 1t by the flood.
THE THIRTY-sIx-INCH MAIN
which was broken this morning was laid in 1872
ana supplies more than half the whole area OF the
city, furnishing water to all the high ground north
| OF street and to East Washington Between
10Th and 22d streets on 1t was constructed before
tne street was hlled up to its present grade This
portion OF the Lain crossed the bed OF the old
Slash Run The caSt-irOn main was placed on
brick piers upon which the ends Of the sections OF
pipe rested When the street was filled to grade
the filling covered the main. The made ground
underneath the sections OF the pipe and around
them has, II is supposed, fallen away. Thus the
| main mas TO bear Its own weight and the weight
| OF the earth and the pavement aboyeit. This mas
| caused strain, which, it is supposed, led TO the
recent breaks and the break to-day. The two
| former breaks were but slight cracks compared
| with that OF to-day. They were mended by Slip
ping wrought iron jackets over the places where
the cracks were found. capt. SymOnS thought to-
| day that 1t would be necessary to 90 over the
whole length OF the main, where 1t Is supported
on piers as described, inspect and place beneath
| IL, a new and stronger masonry foundation.
WHAT CAPT. SYMONs SAYS.
"Cast-iron," said Capt. SymOns to STAR reporter
to-day, sis singular substance:and not to be de-
pended upon. In the casting and cooling process
the pipe is subjected to such molecular strain that
whatever. WrOught-irOn pipe Is more expensive
and not as well adapted for the purpose OF distri-
button as caSt-irOn. Besides 1t decays and rOLS in
the ground much faster"
The pipe for some distance on either side Of the
break Will be laid bare and concrete foundation
laid under 1t. The earth Will then be filled In
around ana over it as cOmpactly as possible Capt
Symons said that the accident to-day illustrates
| such as they are about to have in New York The
completion and operation OF the new reservoir
win afford sort OF dual system. as the city can
OLD or the new reservoir
DEPENDING ON PUMPS.
To-day the residents OF large areas OF the city
| had to depend for their water supply on pumps
| and hydrants. Early this morning water carriers
| were busy, and there were crowds about every
| pump drawing water. Such scenes continued all
/ day long.
To-day while men were at work repairing the
| break, report was made at the AQueduct office
That there was break In the main at Goth and p
streets. Men were sent out to investigate the re.
| port, but no break could be found. Members of
the nre department were out to-day in the north
| ern section OF the city testing the pressure OF
water at the fire plugs, so as to know where to
get water in case OF fire.
Who Shall be Her Guardiane
THE FATHER AND AUNT OF A THIKrEEN-YEAR-oID
| GIRL IN COURT.
Yesterday, Judge Merrick, as probate Judge had
| before him the question Of the guardianship OF
| Mary E. Lttleford, girl of thirteen years. Her
| father, Thomas A. LittlefOrd, and her aunt, Mrs
| Henault, each desired the guardianship of the
| child, Mr.. w. j. Miller representing the father
| and Mr. w. p. Williamson the aunt Mr. Little
| lords vile died some fifteen months ago leaving
| SIX children who were placed in aSyiums The
girl In question would not stay at the Washington
city orphan Asylum Oath and S Streets) and ran
| away several times, the last time going to an
Uncle In the lower part OF Anne Arundel County
| Md. She returned to the city about q month AGO
and went TO the house OF her aunt Mr. LittlefOrd's
sister, Here She stated that her had
her and, II Is alleged, made charges or immoral
conduct against her father and d Mrs Grimm who
lives In the same house. Mrs. HenauIt on THIS in
formation concluded, If 1t true that the father